Thursday, October 27, 2011

ABOUT THE BOOK:Deborah de Lille is an opera singer—in the least grand sense. Debbie doesn’t foresee a future beyond Handel Messiahs and low-budget tours ... until her agent finagles her a minor role with a small-town company. The artists assembled for this production of Offenbach’s spooky opera, Tales of Hoffmann, have more than opera on their minds. Their games of love are not for the faint of heart, and the cutthroat atmosphere may have become literal. How far are they willing to go to advance their careers and even the score? The singer Debbie replaced died under suspicious circumstances, and after another minor player bows out suddenly, she is also given her role. Now she has two small roles that no one in their right mind would kill for. So, either someone isn’t in their right mind, or the close calls threatening Debbie’s safety are all unlucky coincidences. Add to the mix three preening tenors, a sexy lesbian director, a vengeful conductor, an obscenely rich and Hollywood-handsome general director, a fading Italian pop star, a trio of bitchy leading sopranos, an ambitious understudy, countless attention-starved underlings, an anti-opera terrorist group, a resident ghost, and Debbie’s kooky and dysfunctional friends and family, and you have an opening night that promises to genuinely thrill and chill

Cat Melodia is the nom de plume of a Seattle-based mezzo soprano and voice teacher. Like her heroine, she often wears the pants on stage. Three of her opera adaptations/translations have been performed at community colleges. She has a Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in German Literature from Princeton and a Master’s in Music.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

1. Welcome, and thank you for agreeing to an interview for BOOKIN‘ WITH BINGO. Is there any personal information you would like to start out with today?

Hmm... I’m actually writing under a pen name, so I’d just as soon not expose too much. When you’re writing about a small pond (even when you’re not a big fish) it’s easier if people don’t know your real identity. Otherwise they will be certain they recognize themselves. My book is also a little racy, and some of my students are very young and come from conservative families. An excess of caution, perhaps! It also allows me to blog with an extra degree of freedom.

2. Where did you get the inspiration or idea for this book?

I have been writing novels (unpublished) for years, and the one I had finished most recently was a monster that required tons of research. I thought, okay, time for something I can do with almost no research! “Write what you know,” as they say, and I’d had enough crazy experiences as both a musical theater and opera performer to know just how zany and nasty it can all get.

3. How did the title of your book come about?

Funny, I don’t even remember how I came up with it, but that was the title from the get-go. I wanted something catchy, with alliteration, and as a long-time fan of the Wizard of Oz, that’s what came into my head. The book was a finalist in the PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers Assn) Contest in 2007, so I have proof that I thought of my title before the Fresco Opera Theater used it for their review.

4. Do you see yourself in your characters? Which characters are easiest or more difficult to write?

My boyfriend says that I AM Debbie, and I suppose we have a lot in common personality-wise! Our backgrounds are completely different. My parents were nothing like hers (my father was a professor and my mother a very chic business woman/attorney). I really enjoyed all the characters and didn’t find any of them particularly difficult to write. No one is based on a specific person--more like each is a hybrid of several people I’ve encountered in various shows and operas. I got the idea of Sven from watching a student production of Orpheus in the Underworld, by Offenbach. The tenor was an extremely tall redhead and amazingly good-looking and talented. I haven’t kept track of his career, but I’d be surprised if he isn’t successful. I’ve known a lot of charismatic people who were also way too sexual for their own good.

5. What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out? What are you currently reading?

I am probably the most eclectic reader you’ll ever encounter. If it’s well-written, I’ll read it! I often choose authors from a friend’s recommendation; then, if I like the book, I’ll read everything I can get my hands on by that author. My favorite book right now is Foul Matter, by Martha Grimes. I’m re-reading it for the third time! An absolutely hilarious book about the publishing industry. I do love books that manage to be both funny and profound. Some other favorite authors: A.S. Byatt, Anne Rivers Siddons, Ellen Gilchrist, Tolstoy, Saul Bellow, Armistead Maupin, Charles Dickens, Lee Smith (Fair and Tender Ladies) ... I’m all over the map!

6. What is the next or current book/project you are working on?

I have the next book in this series underway. It is tentatively entitled, The Diva Takes a Dive, and centers around the opera Faust, by Gounod.

7. What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?

There’s a lot they don’t know, hopefully! From the book, they’ll know I’m a big movie buff. I also love going to the theater, and not necessary musical theater. It’s nice to see something where people aren’t singing. And I loathe American Idol and all those shows. I’m way too worried about singers being humiliated publically.

8. Do you own an eReader of any kind and how do you feel about their impact on books, as well as you as an author?

I own a Kindle, and I do like reading books that way, especially when I’m going on vacation and when I’m at the gym. But I do love holding a book in my hands when I’m at home. I find that I read a different way; I’m more aware of the author’s style, for one. I hope that eReaders won’t kill physical books, but I fear they will.

9. What is your advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?

Do it because you love it, not because you hope to be famous or make money. I love writing, so for me it doesn’t require major discipline. I used to make up stories all the time as a kid. Anytime I was in a situation that bored me, I’d let my mind wander into an imaginary world. Now I write it all down!

I liked her comment at her website about how unglamorous her field really can be. I do agree that's it's a lot of hard work and small roles in addition to the big stars we see on stage.JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

I know the competition to be an opera singer is fierce. When I was in graduate school, I could easily figure out which ones were training for opera! They were the most nervous and jump ones. Have you ever thought to put an opera student in one of your diva series?

I agree with what the author said on her website about the behind the scene's goings-on of an opera or theatrical production. I also think you can find plenty of cat fights there! No pun intended Cat. *gigglesmamabunny13 at gmail dot com

Hello! Sorry I didn't weigh in yesterday ... You guys are great. My favorite show--loved doing The Sound of Music (I was Maria) in summerstock when I was a kid. Unfortunately it's sort of a two person show, and quite along, so it can be a big bore for the rest of the cast. If you're Maria, however, you're on all the time. Playing Cherubino in the Marriage of Figaro--very fun to play a mischievous boy. I don't get to play women very much, so Maddalena in Rigoletto (evil temptress) was a hoot. Didn't mean to discourage anyway from pursuing an opera career. If you're okay with the Debbie DeLille level of success and like to teach, it can still be a very satisfying career (as long as you have the chops) .....Karen, thanks so much for publishing my interview and hosting the giveaway!--Cat Melodia